Let's Start a Riot
by Paceismyhero
Summary: Can you take me / Into days I never knew / Let's start a riot - I want to riot / Let's start a riot, me and you / 'Cause a riot's overdue
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This started as a oneshot like the other prompt fics, but then got a little out of control. I blame JannP, who is notoriously known for having the same thing happen and it must have spilled over into her prompts.

It is slightly A/U, in that everything from seasons 1 and 2 of _Glee_ happened (aside from the final Finchel scene) but may or may not have been significant. Everything is explained throughout, though, which is why it will be THREE parts and not just one. So, please enjoy and I hope you let me know what you think! Thanks so much!

**Disclaimer:** Used in the summary and the inspiration for the whole fic is the song _Can You Take Me_ by Third Eye Blind. It is pretty wicked and sort of tells the story of the three parts as they happen (in a loose way). So, if you want some listening music while reading, it totally works. :D

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><p>Puck strolled down the empty hallways of McKinley High, his eyes scanning every crevice with a patience he rarely had. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but he knew whatever it was would have to be found when no one else was around. He didn't want to be in the building every weekday for the past four years, so he was pretty sure someone would question his desire to roam the halls after hours. He'd planned this shit, though, so he wouldn't have to explain himself to anyone; everyone left early on Fridays, including the janitor so he could make it to a poker game in the next town over.<p>

Earlier, Puck would have used that information to blackmail the poor blue-collar worker, but he had totally grown up since then. He still had a rap sheet longer than his dick, but he wasn't a complete fuck up anymore. There was nothing he wanted more in life than to get out of Lima, and he wasn't going to be able to do that by sleeping around and visiting the nurse all day. He had to pick up his grades. He had to cut back on the late nights of anonymous sex so he wasn't tardy so much. He had to _apply_ himself.

Legit, it sucked. And, frankly, it hadn't been his idea. But, fuck his life, Rachel Berry had been like his left arm for the past two years – he knew the saying was _right arm_, but he used that hand to jack off and Rachel had never been _that_ for him. Not from a lack of trying, either. Rachel was bat-shit crazy, but she was also wicked hot. Plus, once he got to know her (he'd known her since her family moved to town in fifth grade but he hadn't really paid her enough attention until recently) the craziness wasn't all that bad; most of the time it was just her ambition or whatever driving everyone else nuts, but it was also that determination that kinda got him out of the gutter.

At the beginning of high school, Puck was floundering. Hell, he had started in middle school. In sixth grade he super glued a substitute teacher to a desk chair and from that second on he had a reputation as the bad boy. It was insane how much attention he got, and coming from a house where his dad left and his mom was gone all the time, Puck liked the attention. He _craved_ it. He started pulling other pranks, like toilet-papering the hallways, and then moved on to worse shit, like vandalizing school property.

That kind of attention wasn't exactly awesome, though, as it ended up costing him all of his savings and had everyone watching him a little _too_ closely. Puck preferred life in the background, which was why the next year he zoned out completely. He skipped classes, stopped doing homework, and basically didn't talk the whole year. Those who weren't scared of him thought he was mysterious. The next year he cut his hair into a Mohawk and that's when the girls started flocking. He'd always had their interest because he was on the football and baseball teams, but the new look brought with it a new attitude; he realized he could have any girl he wanted, and he _did_.

Except Rachel Berry.

Rachel was the only girl who hadn't been impressed with his newfound swagger. She talked to him at temple and stuff, but not like the other girls. She used big words and asked real questions and didn't care that he was going to a party on Friday or that he'd egged the principal's house. She'd just roll her eyes, tell him that he was better than that, and then move on. It legit pissed him off, and at the beginning of high school that frustration turned into his legacy: slushie facials.

Out of all the shit things he'd done in his life (and that included knocking up his best friend's girl), that was probably the only thing he really regretted. Rachel didn't deserve that shit, and that wasn't to say Finn _did _deserve being cheated on by his girlfriend and then being lied to for months, but … Rachel mattered more. It took Puck a long time to admit that to himself, but it was something he couldn't ignore anymore. Through everything – all the teasing and all the evidence to the contrary – Rachel had stuck by Puck because she said she knew he was a good person.

Like he said, bat-shit crazy.

"Preparing for finals, Noah?"

He whipped around to see her morph from his thoughts to actually appearing before his eyes, wearing a different outfit than she had been to school but still looking fucking edible. The black yoga Capri pants and black camisole were so tight that he could see every beautiful curve of her lithe frame, and the color managed to make her olive skin look even better (he hadn't thought it was possible). Her long brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, the ends running across the back of her neck softly (the way he wanted his fingers to do) as she shook her head at him.

"Busted."

"Whatcha doin' here, Berry?" He played the whole thing with the practiced ambivalence he'd learned over the years.

"Mr. Schuester promised he would print off some sheet music for me to pick up after my dance class."

His eyes moved down to her hands – sue him but that ain't where he'd been looking before. "Yea. Me too."

"I'm sure." Rachel rolled her eyes, stepping away from the doorway of the choir room and closer to him.

Her scent engulfed him immediately. It was a mix of the typical vanilla aroma and then sweat from her class, and he couldn't stop his mind from wondering if she'd smell the same after a crazy sack session. His tongue ran over his lips, his hands balling into fists at his sides as he fought with his brain to think of anything but running his tongue over her neck (or _other_ places) to see if she tasted as good as she smelled. He was sure she did.

"While I agree you've become much more devoted to the glee club in the past two years, I'm not naïve enough to believe you would dedicate your Friday evening to preparations for our nationals performance like myself."

"Didn'tcha tell Finn you'd be at Britt's party?"

"Didn't you tell him the same thing?"

Puck smirked at her quick non-answer. The crazy thing about their relationship (aside from the fact that he even hung out with her) was how naturally it came. In sophomore year, after Puck had slept with and impregnated Quinn but still couldn't convince the blonde cheerleader to give him the time of day, he and Rachel actually dated. It had only been for a week and she'd ended it when she realized dating him wasn't going to bring her any closer to dating Finn. Afterward, he'd denied they could still be friends because they never were to begin with, but he'd been lying. That week and every day after, Rachel had been his _best_ friend.

She understood him in a way that he didn't even understand himself. Like, she knew he'd be messed up after Beth had been born and given away (not that hard to figure out), but instead of going all freight train on him like his mom did, Rachel just baked him cookies and then left. And the whole time she was pining after and then dating Finn, she convinced the taller teen to patch things up with Puck because she knew that friendship meant a lot to him; she didn't even care that being on his side could ruin everything she had been building with Finn. Plus, after nationals in New York last year, he'd come to her with his own dreams of leaving Lima and making it in the big city, and she didn't laugh in his face.

She was just really, really awesome.

"I am goin'. I just … had to do this first."

"The elusive 'this'." She actually used air quotes; he chuckled. "Otherwise known as senior prank research."

Puck's eyes widened, his usual calm and collected demeanor basically nonexistent in her presence. She had this uncanny way of calling him on his bullshit, and she swore she could tell when he was lying. Internally he disagreed, only because if she really could tell then she'd know he'd make good on every single one of his crude remarks if she even hesitated in her usual refusal of such advances. Instead, she thought he was still hung up on Quinn, which wasn't true but he went along with because it gave him a good excuse for hating Finn sometimes.

It wasn't fair, honestly. The dude wasn't dating _either _girl and yet had dibs on both.

"God, he's so whipped." Puck shook his head. "Makes no sense. S'not like he's getting any from you."

"That is private information."

Puck blinked in confusion. What the hell was that? That wasn't a denial. It wasn't a confirmation, though, either. "What?" He was legit breathing heavily. He was going to puke. "You and Finn …"

"You're so gullible, Noah." Rachel giggled. "Considering your friendship with Finn, I'd imagine you'd be the first person to whom he'd gloat that particular information."

Puck hung his head a little, not wanting to admit she was right. Last year, when Finn had gotten back together with Quinn after dating Rachel, they were bros again. And Puck was the first person Finn told about him and Quinn; legit, he was pretty sure the lanky quarterback called him on his way home from doing the nasty. It was pathetic because it wasn't even his first time, which Puck had heard about from Santana only because he and Finn weren't cool back then. Now that they were, Puck got to hear all of Finn's random thoughts, which was usually just exhausting but also pretty important whenever they'd revolve around Rachel.

"And I didn't need him to inform me of your evil ways, Noah. I could practically hear your wheels spinning when David was recounting their senior prank at that party last week."

Karofksy and a few of the other football players that had graduated the year before threw a massive party last Saturday at one of the guys' lake house. They'd all gone to colleges nearby that ended early and since the seasonal jobs wouldn't start for another two weeks or so, they were basically just throwing one kegger after the next. It was wicked sweet but Rachel was a total ball-buster and only let him go on Saturday after he'd studied his ass off with her the entire week before. Legit, finals can blow him. Hard.

"So," he smirked, tossing his arm over her shoulders, "you want in?"

"I most certainly do not." Rachel shrugged out of his hold, turning on her heels to face him squarely. "And you shouldn't even be contemplating such behavior."

"Give me one good reason …"

"It will reflect poorly on you. You could be suspended. It would negate all the tremendous work you've done to clean up your image. Depending on your plan, you could hurt someone. There is the possibility that you would be arrested. You …"

"Fuck." Puck grabbed her hands, stopping the annoying counting she was doing. "I get it." He paused for just a second to notice the way she didn't jerk her hand out of his. Her skin was super soft. "But I'm still doing it."

Her satisfied smile immediately turned into a frown, his eyes again back to watching the way her hair swayed as she shook her head. He didn't have to wonder if her hair was as soft as her skin; he knew it was. They were friends, after all, and he was totally the touchy-feely kind of friend. His arm was constantly secured over her shoulder, and he didn't really like to go more than a few hours without touching her in some way. His excuses were usually pretty lame – bee on her ass, ink stain on her boobs – but she didn't seem to mind the platonic affection. Platonic being the key word.

"I've been on my best behavior for the past two years, B," he whined, sick of her disapproving stare. Legit, she was worse than his mom. "Even prisoners get time off for good behavior."

"Is that what you aspire to be, Noah?" She ripped her hand out of his. "A prisoner?"

Puck groaned, walking away from her to continue his search. He had a few ideas for some pranks and they were all going to be epic. Karofsky and them had snuck in one night and applied Vasoline to the entire cafeteria. He remembered it because Principal Figgins and Coach Sylvester had entered the room in a tizzy about something and nearly flipped over one of the tables they had slid so quickly across the floor. But Puck was going to do better than that. He wasn't just going to do _one_ prank. He was going to do many. Maybe one every day for a week. Or maybe a bunch in one day. That would be awesome.

"I just wanna do somethin' people will remember, somethin' I did _on purpose_." He finally stopped at the top of the first set of stairs before the turn, looking down at her. "Even if I do get out of here and do make something of myself, without this all's they're gonna remember is that I knocked up Q or that time I drove that car into the lake."

Rachel frowned. He watched her from his heightened position, noticing the telltale signs of her anxiousness. She swept a wayward piece of hair back behind her ear, her eyes down and her bottom lip held captive between her two rows of perfectly white teeth. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then looked up at him with a defiant expression of independence. She forced her hands away from the center of her body, yanking them to her sides as she raised her chin up.

"Me too."

"S'cuse me?" He coughed on the words (and a little on the fact that he just noticed he could see down her shirt a bit).

"While I truly believe each of us will be famous one day very soon after our talents are discovered in New York that doesn't mean we shouldn't live in the present." Rachel climbed the stairs gracefully, her eyes never leaving his. "My name will be in lights eventually, but this kind of infamy could be everlasting." She nodded her head. "It will certainly be much more interesting for my biography than I was captain of the glee club and had a complicated relationship with the star quarterback."

He ignored the reference to Finn mainly because he was still confused. "So, you're in?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, exaggerating the nodding motion of her head. "Yes."

"Sweet." Puck grinned widely, sliding his arm over her shoulders once again. "I always knew you were badass."

"If I am it is because you bring it out in me, Noah."

He stumbled on the next stair, looking over at her in his periphery. Her expression was emotionless, and he was pretty sure she'd gotten that from him, too. Rachel said shit like that all the time, more and more lately, and it fucked with his head. Puck knew it was true. He _knew_ he could be good for her the way she was good for him. She needed someone who wasn't going to just let her walk all over him, just like he needed someone strong enough to stop some of his bullshit. In some fucked up way, they balanced each other out.

They were complete opposites, but they were kind of the same.

"I bring it out in everyone in glee, too, 'cause they're all in."

He ended up sidestepping the conversation, just like he always did. The jokes he could do. Puck could smack her ass and ask her if she tasted like berries, but the actual feelings and shit were too much. It was too real. The crass humor was easy, but the emotional stuff he couldn't fake. He'd end up saying too much or the wrong thing and everything would be ruined. And he wasn't being melodramatic, either. _Everything_.

"Even Kurt?"

Puck scoffed. "What have I told you about questioning my badassness?" He flexed his muscles and grinned when he heard her sharp intake of breath, her fingers curling a little deeper into his skin. "One ticket to the gun show and Porcelain was all like, Blaine who?"

"I'm sure you just frightened him." Rachel rolled her eyes. "Kurt might be the only person I know who isn't tempted by your bad boy persona." She took a pensive pause. "Then again, you are the next natural choice for glee heartthrob after Kurt had to get over his obsession with Finn."

"I still think he's just luring him into a false sense of security," Puck joked, meandering through the halls with her tucked into his side. Now he kinda wished there were people there to see. "It isn't actual incest since they are _step_brothers. And, you know, they'd be butt fuckin' so no way to make some crazy-ass kid with an arm where its ear should be."

Rachel's mouth gaped open, her feet stopping all movement and causing him to swing back into her. _Close to her_. He could have stepped away. Even if she was catatonic or whatever from his somewhat graphic observation, he could have moved out of her personal space. But outside of dance routines for glee, Puck didn't get a lot of opportunities to have her taunt little body pressed up against the front of his. She always made a point of keeping her distance in that way, which he was cool with only because she was the same with everyone else (Finn, too).

Her breath was shallow even as she spoke. "W-we should go to the party." She shook her head, like she was trying to convince herself that they should be anywhere other than where they were right then. "Everyone in glee will be there. We can have a secret meeting regarding our plans for the pranks."

Puck looked down at her through hooded eyes, noting the extra sparkle in her usually deep chocolate brown gaze. Talent aside, she was born to be a star because her eyes legit twinkled like one. But not all the time. Only when she was really happy. Usually that meant performing, but she wasn't singing any show tunes right then. She was just with him. Alone.

"That's probably Finn," she whispered for no good reason, finally pulling away from him while also reaching for her ringing phone. "Hello, Finn."

He listened to her side of the conversation, paying attention to the way she had changed her voice from breathy to cheery. He wasn't sure exactly what it meant, honestly. He knew breathless was typically good, but so was cheerful. And even if she was just pretending to be happy, he didn't know why. Was she faking it because she didn't want Finn to know her and Puck had just been so close or was she genuinely pleased with the interruption – _from Finn_.

Puck guessed it was the latter. After all, he wasn't as stupid as people thought he was. He'd been a front-row spectator to the Finchel saga for the past three years. Some might even say he was a participant. Rachel had used him to make Finn jealous sophomore year, and then there had been the notorious make out session in junior year that caused the two to break up. He'd helped Finn write a song for Rachel for nationals – Rachel still didn't know about that, but then again it didn't really matter because her and Finn hadn't gotten back together like the quarterback had planned. This year Puck was more in the background, just waiting with everyone else for Finn and Rachel to finally get back together. Everyone knew it was more a matter of _when_ and not _if._

"Finn is going to gather all the glee members before they get too inebriated." Rachel slid her phone back into her bag. "We're expected in ten minutes."

He looked her up and down curiously. "You're wearing that?"

"Kurt?" Rachel blinked, a wide smile taking over her face. "Kurt is that you?"

"I was just wonderin' if I'd get the chance to see you strip," he amended humorlessly. "That's all."

"Ah, Noah." She sighed in fake relief. "There you are."

He chuckled to himself, following her down the stairs and toward her locker. He rested his frame against the cool metal, watching her spin the dial right, left, and then right again before popping it open. She quickly grabbed a skirt from the top shelf (where she kept her slushie wardrobe), closing the door with a snap and heading to the nearby girls' bathroom - but _not_ before he noticed a new picture she had up in her locker. The one of her with all the kids in glee was from last year, and she still had a really old picture of her fathers up that he always thought was weird. Below it was a picture of her, Mercedes, Kurt, and Blaine taken at Lima Bean, and next to it was a picture from an all-nighter a few of them pulled at Finn's house before the SATs; they'd gotten a little delirious after the twenty-third straight hour of studying and ended up taking a picture with Finn, Blaine, Kurt and Puck all sitting next to each other on the couch with Rachel laying across their legs, everyone smiling wide for the camera.

The newest one, however, wasn't from a glee performance. It wasn't from any of her after-school classes or a musical or a play. It wasn't even a group shot. It was from her eighteenth birthday party this past October. She'd invited everyone over for a low-key night of just movies, games and popcorn, and it had actually been a lot of fun. Most people left around midnight or so, but Puck's movie choice had just started so he stayed. The next morning, he woke up on the couch with no recollection of falling asleep and the worst neck ache he'd ever felt, but Rachel wrapped in his arms. It was something that he sorta thought he dreamed considering they never mentioned it, but clearly _someone_ had gotten a picture.

But why would she hang it up?

"Missed your opportunity, Noah." Rachel smiled shyly, standing in front of him in exactly the same thing she had been wearing but with a skirt on over the pants and the legs rolled up a little higher so they hit mid-thigh. It didn't make sense, but she looked even better. "Let's go."

Puck's mouth opened to ask her about the picture, but at the last second he changed his mind. "Who says I'm takin' ya?"

"Me," she stated simply, leading him to _his_ truck.

See, Puck wasn't the only one changing. In the past year or so, Rachel had outgrown her bossiness and controlling behavior, instead morphing into a much more secure, confident version of herself. She was learning how to kick back and enjoy life, too. She had aspirations for the future, but she'd realized (with his goading, for sure) that she was missing out on her present. There were friendships to develop, mistakes to be made. She had to get into some trouble and learn to swing with the punches. Legit, he couldn't wait for New York.

Rachel had received her early admittance letter from Juilliard back in December. Kurt received his letter from the Parsons School of Design in March, and Blaine was accepted into NYU in April. Finn and Puck both got their acceptance letters to Hofstra a few weeks ago, and they were actually going to be roommates. They'd each earned an athletic scholarship, and were expected to arrive to the campus at the beginning of August to start training and practice. Two weeks later Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine would drive up, and they already had plans to do a bunch of that stupid tourist shit before classes actually started.

"This truck is never going to make it to New York, Noah."

On cue, the old vehicle backfired and sputtered to a stop at the red light. "See whatcha did? You done gone made Lucy mad."

"Lucy?"

"Yea, like Quinn." His eyes danced with mischief. "The back's huge and the grill's shiny."

"That's _deplorable_!" She shook her head in horror but he just laughed it off. "Quinn is one of your friends, at the very least, and she doesn't deserve that kind of ridicule."

"What does that mean, at the very least?"

"It means not less than."

Puck looked at her blankly for a few seconds, eventually turning back to focus on the road. "I meant … what are you _insinuating_?"

She smiled like it had been her plan all along to force a five-syllable word out of him (it probably was). "I've been thinking about the future a lot, Noah." She shrugged sadly, her voice softening. "Pretty soon we won't be able to just go over to Brittany's house for a party to see everyone. Sure, we'll be in New York, but Brittany and Mike are going to L.A. Mercedes accepted an offer from Ole Miss. Artie got into a tech school in Cleveland. Santana is going to LCC. Tina, Quinn and Lauren received their letters from OSU last week." She was quiet for a long moment. "Time is running out."

His head bobbed unconsciously, his brain working overtime just to process all the words she had said and all the words she hadn't said. For a girl who was pretty good at speaking her mind, she was an expert at hiding the true meaning of her diatribes under thick layers of bullshit. He'd only just started learning how to better sift through all the crap to figure out what she was really trying to say, but most of the time he still didn't get it. Especially now. Like, he knew they were all splitting up, but the only thing that mattered to him was that she was going to be in New York and so was he. He figured that bought him some time.

Time for what he wasn't sure, as he knew Finn was thinking the same thing. Everyone expected him to go to State like most people from Lima ended up doing. But, like Puck, Finn had picked up his grades and really dazzled the football scout. He hadn't gotten a full ride (Puck did but he was doing football and baseball), but luckily all of Kurt's schooling was paid for by a trust fund his mother had set up before she died. He was going to have to work his ass off in order to stay, but Finn said he was willing to do that.

Rachel made him dream big.

"Woo, it's Puckleberry!" Tina shouted from Brittany's porch, her voice filtering into the cab of the truck through the open windows.

Clearly their plan to discuss the prank before everyone was too drunk wasn't going to go off without a hitch. "Artie, snag your girl."

Mike and Tina had broken up almost exactly a year after they'd started dating, at the same Asian camp and everything. When senior year started back up, Mike and Brittany were together and then Artie and Tina quickly rekindled their romance. They were planning on carrying it through despite going to two different schools, and even though Columbus and Cleveland weren't that far away, it seemed unlikely that the duo would work out. The saga between Artie and Tina was almost as bad as that of Rachel and Finn's – except Puck wasn't in love with Tina.

Shit. Not this again.

"Finn! You were supposed to gather everyone around someplace private." Rachel gestured to the clearly public area. "Anyone could hear or see us out here!"

"I'm sorry, Rach, but all the rooms are taken … if you know what I mean." Finn snuck a glance to Puck. "Bethany Cooper is seriously loud."

"I know," Puck joked, though it was actually true. He'd gotten that particular cheerleader to scream his name freshman year before she started getting desperate and clingy.

"You're both revolting." Rachel pushed past the two boys, walking toward where Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine were sitting on the porch swing. Brittany and Mike were perched on the railing of the porch, and everyone else was scattered close enough that they'd be able to hear Rachel even if she spoke quietly (theoretically speaking since it was _Rachel_). "It has come to my attention that everyone in our group is planning some sort of senior prank."

"Puckerman!" Santana scolded, socking him in the shoulder. "I can't believe you told her! I should cut you!"

"Ease up, Satan. Berry is down."

"Yes," Rachel agreed quickly. "And I have some wonderful ideas for a prank that will be memorable without being destructive."

"Sorry, babe, but we're no longer accepting new proposals." Puck lowered himself onto the top step or the porch, his smirk never moving out of place. "Finn and I worked out all the details in study hall."

"That's not very team oriented."

"And you hogging the spotlight in glee is?"

Rachel glared at Kurt. "It was a _solo_. The spotlight is _supposed_ to be on me." She jutted her index finger out in accusation. "And I'll remind you that it was _me_ who suggested to Mr. Schuester that you and Blaine perform a duet at nationals. _And_ …"

"Does she have an off button?" Santana snarled.

Puck shrugged. "I only know how to turn her on."

"Noah," Rachel chastised lightly, shaking her head a little before moving her focus to Finn. "What exactly are these pranks you two have supposedly concocted?"

"Puck said it's better that we don't tell because then you guys can't get in trouble," Finn stated, leaning his tall frame against one of the columns at the top of the porch's stairwell. "But we are going to need ten bucks from everyone."

"Ten dollars?" Lauren questioned skeptically. "You need a hundred-plus bucks for some stupid prank?"

"Prank_s_. Plural," Puck reasoned.

"I think we're being scammed," Quinn muttered.

"No, it's going to be awesome," Finn assured everyone. "We just have a few things to buy to make everything work."

"Chicas, should we really trust Dick and Nipples to do this right?" Santana asked, her eyes on her perfectly manicured fingers. "This is our legacy we are talking about. The class of 2012!"

"I agree with Santana." Crickets could be heard after Rachel's statement and she stomped in foot in response. "If you gentleman need our help, then we should be able to participate in the planning as well as the production of the pranks."

Finn looked over at Puck with pleading eyes, wanting to give in to Rachel's demands, and Puck just rolled his eyes. "This is non-negotiable, Berry. If you can't play by the rules, then do your own prank."

"Fine, we will! And it is going to be _way_ better than yours!"

"Care to put a wager on that?"

"I'm willing to bet _anything_," she responded confidently, hands on her hips and eyes boring into his.

He didn't let his expression change, but he gulped nervously. He knew he should try to think of something embarrassing or maybe costly, but his mind was reeling with hundreds of dirty, impure options. Each one was more graphic than the last, the innocence from the first thought long gone. Why settle for a kiss when he could have seven minutes in heaven? What's seven minutes in heaven when he could get a hummer in the school parking lot? Who wants a BJ when they can ask for the 69 position? If they were going to do the 69 position, why wouldn't they just go all the way? How could they only do it once when they could do it twice, three times … forever?

Puck slammed his eyes shut, willing himself to focus on all the reasons why he couldn't ask for those things all while extending his hand out toward her. "Deal."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I feel it necessary to point out that this is likely (it was unknown at the beginning but is coming clearer and clearer) that this is Rated M strictly for language. I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone because we still have two chapters (this one and the final one) left and while this one is building up the climax, the next should be epically fun if I can pull it off. I haven't written it yet, though, so more to come, I suppose.

Regardless, thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. You guys are always so awesome and DEFINITELY the reason I can't stay away. Individual shout out to Jann, who I hope will consider this chapter as bonus points on her prompt. :D Thanks again to all, and please let me know what you think!

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><p>Puck galloped down the basement stairs of the Hudson-Hummel house, bringing down a bag of chips and a few sodas that Carole had shoved in his arms on his way. They were growing boys, apparently. Shit, if Finn grew anymore they were going to have to build a special car for him to drive in. He already had to duck getting into his truck and legit slouched whenever he rode in Rachel's tiny ass smart car - if the car was really so smart, it would spit out all that Broadway shit she forced it to play and lock the radio on a good channel.<p>

"Hey, dickface." Puck threw the can without warning, smirking when Finn caught it. Apparently after getting hit in the face so many times, he'd learned to always have his guard up. "Catch."

"You're an ass," Finn muttered, setting down the soda and picking back up his video game controller. "What's up?"

Puck shrugged. "Had to get outta the house before I grew a vagina. Ma and Sarah are pissin' themselves about some super gay dance."

"Dude," Finn warned, nodding his head toward the back of the room even though his eyes never left the TV screen.

Puck turned and saw Kurt and Blaine playing some card game. "Oh, hey."

"Likewise," Kurt muttered. "And don't worry about it. Your ignorance rolls right down my back now."

"Didcha take the stick out of your ass so Blaine could …"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Noah."

Puck whipped around to see Rachel walking down the steps, a plate of cookies in her hands. He waited with bated breath to see if she'd put them down in front of Kurt and Blaine or him and Finn. Puck might not agree that they were growing boys anymore, but he legit wouldn't turn down a baked good from Berry (or really anything she offered him). That shit was off the hook.

"They're vegan," she said brightly before sliding the bag of chips out of the middle of the coffee table in front of the couch and setting down the plate. "And kosher."

Puck grinned, reaching for a cookie before she even had the plastic wrap off. "Maybe after I win our bet Monday, I'll demand you bake a _million_ cookies for me." He leered. "In just an apron."

"I would comment on how demoralizing your suggestion is, but it wouldn't be worth it because _you_ aren't going to win." She hummed at the end of her remark before brushing by the two boys back toward the table where Kurt and Blaine were sitting. "Kurt, I trust you completed your assignment. Your participation is key to the execution of the task."

"About that …" Kurt looked up from the deck of cards he was shuffling, his expression solemn while Blaine was outright avoiding all eye contact. "There's been a snag in the plans." He rushed through the rest, seeing Rachel's face start to redden in anger. "The guys shared the plans to their respective girlfriends and convinced them to participate in …"

"Puckerman!" Rachel swirled back to face Puck, who had a shit-eating grin on his face, looking far too arrogant for someone who had a crumb stuck in the corner of his lips. "That's not fair!"

"S'not my fault once everyone sobered up they thought better of teamin' up for a _senior prank_ with Miss Goody Two Shoes." He chuckled, seeing her mouth hang open. "'Sides, the bet was _you_ could do a better prank than me, not boys versus girls."

A squeak came out from somewhere low in her throat, and he somehow managed to grin wider. He didn't know why, but he really got a kick out of pissing her off. She looked so damn hot all riled up, her face flushed and her chest heaving. Sometimes she would bite her lip to keep from screaming at him, and … OK. So he knew _exactly_ why he did it. But Finn didn't, which is why when Rachel growled he flinched and sprung from the couch, the video game forgotten.

"I'll help ya, Rach. You don't even have to tell me what you're doing or anything, but I … I'll help you."

"Thank you, _Finn_, but I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own." She glared over her shoulder when Kurt began humming the famous _Les Misérables_ song. He shifted his eyes, clearly not realizing he was doing it, before him and Blaine made a beeline for the stairs – out of the line of fire. "Let's just work on the number because _apparently_ I have some planning to do."

"Number?"

"Rach is helping me with the one group piece," Finn explained. "I keep missing my cue on the dance steps after our duet."

"I doubt she can fix your two left feet, Frankenteen," Puck grumbled, sliding over in the couch and claiming the spot Finn had vacated. He grabbed the abandoned controller and started the game up again while Finn and Rachel moved some furniture around to give them more space. He peered over his shoulder while the game loaded up and felt his stomach clench at the sight of their starting position – Rachel's back against Finn's chest, his arm circled around her waist to hold her opposite hand, ready to spin her.

While a lot of people blamed the infamous stage kiss between Rachel and Finn for their loss at nationals last year, Puck knew it was more than that. Even with the badass song him and Finn had penned and then the group number, it had all been too disorganized. They'd barely had any time to practice, making up dance moves while other groups were performing. Half the group had written some of the lyrics on their hands in case they forgot. It was a mess.

But, this year, the glee club had been working hard to be prepared. They took what they learned from the audience and the judges at sectionals and regionals, and last month they created an ideal set list for the national competition in a couple of weeks. They'd practiced the songs a million times, and the dance routines both during the numbers and in transition were worked out and learned weeks ago. Now the group was just perfecting everything, ready to take Chicago by storm.

"Noah, can you please come here for a moment?"

Puck looked away from the game, trying to at least appear like he wasn't eager to jump at the sound of her voice. He sighed heavily. "Fine, but I ain't dancin' with him."

"Not necessary." Rachel extended her hand, curling her small fingers around his palm and setting them in the same position her and Finn had been. "Finn, watch."

Puck paused for a moment, inhaling the smell of her hair and just soaking in the warmth of her body and her smile before he remembered his best friend was standing two feet away watching the two intently. He snapped his wrist and sent Rachel spinning to his right. He kept his arm rigid so she'd stop on a whip and circle back in front of him, grabbing his other hand and repeating the same spin move on his left. Then he ducked under her arm and planted his right hand on her hip, leading her into the next steps while Rachel hummed the words the other members would be singing. It was a tango number, with couples performing the lyrics _while_ everyone danced. Mike and Tina had a duet, Kurt and Blaine had a duet, him and Santana had a duet, and so did Rachel and Finn.

Awesome.

"Now, pretend you are Finn," Rachel instructed while still dancing. "Transition into the solo."

Puck nodded, knowing better than to mess it up because _that's_ what Finn would do. Instead, he side-stepped Rachel as needed, crooning the first line of the solo. Rachel then jumped into his arms, singing her own line while he rotated her and then placed her back on the ground. The two finished the rest of the verse as a duet, moving into the same dance the rest of the group would be doing.

"That was wonderful, Noah." Rachel beamed at him before turning her attention back on Finn. "Now your turn."

Puck stepped back, watching Finn try again and fail again. He made it all the way to the end this time, but still banged his knee against Rachel's during the last bit of dancing. "Ya know, science shows there's a correlation between sex and dancing."

"Fuck off, dude."

Puck laughed, going back to the video game he'd left and pretending to be completely enthralled in it. He honestly wished he were; then his ears wouldn't perk up every time Rachel giggled or said something about _doing it like Noah_. He lasted a full hour before he gave up, tossing the controller down to the table and grabbing another cookie. He made his way to the stairwell, his foot on the first step before she called after him.

"Are you going home?"

"Probably not." He watched her face fall and sighed. "Why?"

"I thought you might be able to escort me back to my house."

Puck's eyes flicked to Finn's, and he furrowed his brows when the tall teen smirked. The fuck? Did he just fart and get away with it or what? "Sure." He watched Rachel light up, turning back to Finn to hug him goodbye. "Haul ass, Berry. I ain't got all night."

She glowered at him while grabbing her bag, speeding by him without realizing he was going to spend the next twenty steps staring at her perfect little ass. They both said goodbye to Carole and Burt and then Kurt and Blaine who had moved to the front porch. They were seriously like an old married couple, and even though it was kind of pathetic, Puck thought it was pretty funny, too. Plus, Blaine was a decent guy, so that made it harder to make fun of them.

"I don't mean to sound surprised by this, because I'm certainly not, but you are an incredible dancer, Noah."

"I know," he answered smugly while climbing into his truck. "And the correlation is true, in case you were wonderin'."

Rachel rolled her eyes as she secured her seatbelt, resting her bag on her lap before turning to face him. "You'll have to learn to take compliments eventually."

He shrugged, pressing his foot on the brake and shifting the truck into reverse. He sped down the driveway and then yanked the lever into the drive position, the truck jostling at the abrupt movements before propelling forward. Rachel grabbed the handle on her door tightly, her knuckles white when he took the first turn a little harder than necessary. She glared at him, but the force of the vehicular assault had pulled her closer to the middle of the cab seat (right next to him), so he didn't really care.

"It's a shame Finn and Santana's voices don't complement each other." He caught her eye in his periphery and she knew to explain herself more. "He'd probably be able to dance more easily with someone a little taller, and then you and I would be paired together."

Puck showed no emotion, didn't even nod in agreement. The last thing he needed to do was admit that he had dreams (_literally_) of Finn breaking his leg during practice or a game and Puck having to swoop in as the lead in glee. It was funny considering he'd only joined the stupid group sophomore year to be closer to Quinn, and now it was the best part of his day. It was where his real friends were. It was something he was actually good at and used to give him some direction for his future. And, of course, it's where _she_ was.

"You really are willin' to sacrifice anything to win, aren'tcha?"

"Not everything." She shrugged. "Unfortunately we all can't be like you, sacrificing our happiness for the supposed greater good."

He dared to look at her when he paused at the next stop sign, his eyebrows knitting together when her expression gave nothing away. He was playing with fire, and not in the fun way. This was destructive. Just this line of _thinking_ could burn down everything he'd worked so hard to build. They wouldn't be able to just start from the ground up again; this would sear the entire foundation, turn everything to unmanageable ashes.

Luckily his phone started to ring and gave him the perfect excuse not to respond to her. "Yea?" His mother's voice echoed through the receiver, telling him she had to go into work at the hospital and that he needed to pick up Sarah at the middle school. She didn't even wait for an answer before hanging up. "Minor detour."

"Everything alright?" Rachel asked in concern.

"Ma had to go to work, so I gotta pick up the rugrat at school."

"What is Sarah doing at school on a Saturday evening?"

"There was some bitch ass dance, I guess."

Rachel sighed dreamily, just like his mom and sister had been doing while talking about the dumb event before he left to go to Finn's. "I still remember our seventh grade end-of-the-year dance. It seems silly now, after experiencing two proms. I still remember the gymnasium being so beautifully decorated, even if I only got to see the side the girls stayed on while the boys gathered on the other side."

"Shit was so lame."

"Think what you will, but I remember you looking quite dashing that evening." She grinned at him. "For the five minutes you were there before running off to heaven knows where with Santana."

"And a bottle of Jack she'd stolen from her brother's dresser." Puck grinned, only really remembering that night because he'd had sex for the first time. It was Santana's first time, too, though she'd given head to basically everyone on the football team by then. It was sort of sad how she still equated sex with power. Puck knew better, but it was only because he'd tried to use it to stop the growing feelings he'd had for Rachel and realized he was powerless. "I didn't even know you were there."

"Not unusual," she lamented, her eyes moving down to her lap sadly. "I sat alone at a table all by myself the whole night."

"Watchin' Finn, no doubt."

She snorted out a laugh, shrugging a little. "As I said," she lifted her eyes back up to him, smiling shyly, "it seems silly now."

Puck slammed the car into park the second he pulled into the parking lot, looking at her with a hard, unyielding expression. "Why, 'cause alls you'd haveta do is snap your fingers now and he'd be by your side?"

Rachel narrowed her gaze on him, the two just staring at one another for a good minute. He focused on the different emotions swirling in the depths of her eyes, and she couldn't help but watch the anger in his break away to reveal the real reason for his outburst. She opened her mouth only to have her rebuttal drowned out by the familiar chattering of Puck's younger sister. Sarah spoke a mile a minute about so and so having a party and everyone being invited and she wanted to go. She was midway through her desperate plea before she even acknowledged Rachel.

"Come on, Rach! Tell him how important this is." She stared wide-eyed at the brunette. "It's my _first_ co-ed party!"

"Whoa!" Puck had moved the gear shift to drive, but then kicked it right back into park. "There's gonna be boys at this thing?

"Noah!" Sarah whined. "Gabby's parents will be there." She turned to Rachel. "And it's not just _boys_. Ryan _Anderson_ is going to be there."

Rachel hummed in response. "He sounds dreamy."

"She didn't say anything but his name," Puck scoffed, finally kicking the truck into drive and pulling away from the school. "Did you ask Ma?"

"She only said no because she can't pick me up in the morning." Her eyes turned even more desperate. "If you …"

"Nut-uh."

"Noah! Please!" Sarah squirmed in her spot, forcing Rachel closer to Puck. "I'll do your chores for a month!"

Puck pretended to think about it, but the only thing he was paying attention to was Rachel's hand sitting gingerly on his thigh. He was pretty sure she didn't even know she was doing it, but her thumb was moving ever so softly up and down over his jeans. He struggled to keep his eyes from shutting (only not letting them because he was driving), but the tingling feeling that moved up his spine was hard to ignore. Even harder than his junk was getting, which after much longer would be pretty noticeable.

"Noah, quit torturing her. What's the address?" Sarah sprouted it off almost before Rachel had the last word out. "Wonderful. We'll stop at home so you can change into some more appropriate attire, and _I'll_ pick you up tomorrow morning. You just have to promise to be on your best behavior this evening."

"Yes! Yes! Yes, of course! I will! I promise I will!"

Puck sighed as the girls hugged tightly, partially upset because his eardrum suffered some damage from Sarah's excitement. More so, however, because Rachel had to remove her hand from his thigh to wrap her arms around the young girl. The second he pulled into the driveway, Sarah jumped out and ran inside. The two teenagers followed her route through the house by the lights that came on in her travels, each chuckling at the frantic movements they noticed from outside Sarah's bedroom window.

"Don't be such a curmudgeon, Noah." Rachel smiled. "Your sister is far more innocent and much smarter than you ever were at that age. There is nothing wrong with her engaging in some harmless, adolescent fun."

"She's too young for this bullshit."

Rachel laughed out loud. "You do realize you were _just_ recalling your own experience at the same dance, full of underage drinking and premarital sex, right?"

Puck felt sick. "This is different." His eyes moved to the front door, watching Sarah hurry to lock the house back up and run back to the truck, clad in jeans and a shirt with a small bag hanging off her shoulder. "She's different."

"You won't be able to protect her all the way from New York."

He debated her words for the entire trip, tuning out their mindless chatter about the dance. He really didn't care that Tiffany danced with Derek even though she was best friends with Kara who _everyone_ knew was in love with Derek and was only dancing with Nate to make Derek jealous. The only thing he cared about was that Rachel had a point, one he hadn't considered.

Everything had happened so fast. He applied to a few schools in New York because Rachel had convinced him and Finn didn't want to do it alone. He never expected to get in. He figured he'd go to State like everyone else and take the standard four-year pit stop on the road to becoming a townie. But then he got accepted, full ride and all, and Rachel jumped into his arms chanting how proud she was and … he hadn't considered anything else.

"Thanks, Noah!" Sarah quickly undid her seatbelt. "Thanks, Rach!"

Rachel grabbed the small girl's hand just before she fled the vehicle. "Do me a favor, Sarah." She smiled as the young girl nodded eagerly. "No matter what happens tonight … kiss that boy."

Sarah blushed, nodding shyly. "I will. See you tomorrow!"

"The fuck?" Puck asked, waiting until Rachel turned to face him before he continued. "'Splain yourself!"

"You wouldn't understand, Noah." Rachel shook her head, moving over to the proper seat while Puck began to drive toward her house. Sarah's friend didn't live far from Rachel, so it was going to be a short trip. "You're the type of person who naturally acts on your instincts. You're spontaneous and daring and so sure of yourself."

"And that gives you permission to tell Sarah to mess around tonight?"

"A kiss is _hardly _messing around. And the point is that I just don't want her to regret _not_ making a decision." Rachel looked out the window, her voice quiet. "While I honestly doubt Mr. Anderson is _The One_, it's much worse for her to never know one way or the other simply because she let the opportunity pass her by."

Puck pulled into the Berry driveway, noticing the entire house was dark. "Ya sound like you're talkin' from experience."

"I believe it is too late for me." Rachel pulled out the handle of the door, letting the heavy metal swing away from her as she looked back at him. "But Sarah is your sister so there's a good chance she has some of that willingness to takes risks under all that exuberance."

Puck placed his hand over hers, halting her slow retreat. "You take risks every day, B."

"I'm not speaking of the fashion variety."

"I ain't either." He looked down at their hands, noting that she wasn't pulling away. Why did he constantly find himself in this situation? Maybe it was just to prove how wrong she was; he was a coward. He was too worried about what would happen with his friendship with Finn and his friendship with Rachel to act on an impulse (if it can even be considered an impulse after a minimum of a year having it). For the first time in his life, he was thinking before acting, and it was killing him inside. "You're the bravest person I know."

Rachel had been watching him over her shoulder, but then she swiftly angled her body more directly in front of his. She left her one hand nestled underneath his, moving the other to his left cheek and tilting his head a fraction of an inch before crashing her lips against his. He wrestled with his willpower at first, but then she opened her mouth and captured his lips differently and he felt his resolve start to break. Her tongue slid into his mouth a nanosecond later, his own recoiling at the contact even though his hand tightened its grip on her.

She released him from her embrace a moment later, her eyes fluttering open and staring at him for a few seconds before she continued on her original retreat. "Thank you, Noah."

He watched her move across the pathway to her front door, his lips still on fire long after she was inside the house. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white, and he rammed his forehead against the top of the circle a few times in frustration. His whole body was humming from her kiss and all he wanted to do was plow right through the Berry front door and have his way with her, but he knew he shouldn't. He _couldn't_.

Puck drove past his house and back toward Finn's. They'd all learned a lot in the past few of years, and the one thing Puck had taken to heart was lies were always worse when they came out later. He'd seen it ruin Quinn's life, he'd seen it split up Rachel and Finn, and it was a big reason why he and Lauren broke up. No matter how Finn might react or how much could be ruined, it would be nothing in comparison to what could happen if he never told him at all.

He skidded to a stop outside the Hudson-Hummel house, effortlessly shifting into park even as he opened the door and started to get out of the truck. Bounding up the front porch steps, he didn't hesitate before pulling open the screen door and pushing past the front door. He could hear the TV in the living room on, the familiar sounds of an Indians game and the colorful commentary of Burt and Finn leading Puck in the right direction. Blaine and Kurt were also in the room, though Blaine looked much more interested in the baseball game than Kurt.

He waited until the inning was over before saying anything. "Yo, Finn."

"Jesus, Puck!" Kurt placed a hand over his heart, looking startled. "You scared me to death."

"I wish," Puck muttered, never moving his eyes off Finn. "Dude, got a sec?"

Finn nodded, grabbing the empty cans of soda and Burt's beer and placing them in the empty chip bowl that was sitting on the coffee table in front of Burt. The two teenagers moved to the kitchen, Puck pacing in the small space while Finn cleaned up. He had driven over to the house so quickly that he hadn't really given much thought to what he would say once he arrived. Did he tell Finn that Rachel kissed him or that they kissed? He wasn't exactly unwilling even though she'd clearly initiated the whole thing. Then again, why stop there? Maybe he should go for broke. Like, it wasn't a lie but he wasn't exactly being honest about his feelings for Rachel. Maybe he should man up and tell Finn just so the guy would know that Puck had changed.

"Mom's around here somewhere so if this is about the prank …"

"It ain't about the prank." Puck exhaled a heavy breath. "It's about Rachel."

"What about her?"

"I … she … we … " Puck groaned, stopping in front of the refrigerator and dropping his head against the white-painted metal. His hands reached up and gripped each side of the freezer door, clenching it so hard that he thought he could rip it off the hinges if he really wanted to. Slowly he looked over at his friend, his voice hoarse. "I like her."

"Well, duh." That same smile from before was back, still confusing the fuck out of him. "Of course you like her. Have you screwed anyone since you were trying to fuck her out of your system?"

Puck blinked a few times, his head slowly lifting away from the cool metal. "S'cuse me?"

"It's cool, dude." Finn shrugged. "I had my shot, and now we're friends. But, you guys … I dunno. You could really be something."

Puck wasn't sure how to react. There was the knee-jerk reflex that told him to openly mock how gay Finn sounded or at least say something about Puckasaurus not being able to be tied down. He also felt like he should refute him a little, if only for the same reasons he'd been denying it for so long as is; he promised Finn he wouldn't go after Rachel. Instead, he settled for a manly bob of his head, no emotion showing other than an amused smirk.

"Ya know, for being as dumb as rocks, you're pretty smart."

Finn chuckled and the two said a silent goodbye before Puck left to go back to his house. Even though his mom and sister were both out and he had the whole place to himself, he found himself alone in his small room, sitting on the edge of his bed in the dark. Trying to outwit his own thoughts, he busied himself by first taking a long shower and then texting back and forth with Finn about the plan for the pranks on Monday. Then, maybe because his phone was in his hand and he couldn't help himself, he clicked onto Rachel's name to shoot her a quick text before he could think about it.

_R we still studyin 2gether 2morrow?_

He felt like such a girl, holding his phone in both hands and just waiting for it to buzz with a text. He wasn't sure how much damage had been done by the kiss. After all, just because Finn was cool with whatever was happening between Puck and Rachel, it didn't mean that _Rachel _was. She'd said it just this evening; kissing is hardly messing around. Maybe her embrace had just been a thank you and not her own battle of wills losing.

_Rain check._

Puck groaned, getting his answer in two short words. Maybe his friendship with Finn would stay intact, but things with Rachel were ruined. She probably regretted it instantly and was now in the middle of some heartfelt confession with Finn. The two would patch things up and both of their friendships with Puck would fade because Finn knew about Puck's feelings for Rachel and he'd be uncomfortable with either of them spending time with him.

_I'm busy planning the best prank ever. ;)_

He grinned slowly, reclining to a laying down position while his arms fell to his sides. It was only about ten at night and he wasn't sure if he could get his mind to shut off long enough for him to fall asleep, but he had to try. He wanted to be well rested for tomorrow so he and Finn could perfect all their prank plans, maybe even bring the other glee kids in more to help seal the deal. He _had_ to win because if she lost he wouldn't just get anything he wanted; it was quite possible he'd get _everything_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** So I'm not sure if this turned out exactly like I wanted it to, but I'm suffering from a crazy case of writer's block that seriously won't go away. So this is the best it's gonna get. Jann, perhaps after the cloud breaks and I finish the other prompts I have to do I shall attempt a better prompt fic for you; you're better at coming up with them than you think. ;)

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, and thank you in advance to those who manage to find something nice to say about this chapter. (And, please, I encourage reviews from those who might not have nice things to say, too). Enjoy!

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><p>Puck barely suppressed his amusement as the faint buzzing from above started again. The teacher absolutely lost his shit this time, demanding the entire class to raise their hands in the air so he could be sure no one had a phone in their hands. Mr. Peters walked up and down each aisle, perking his ears up when each new vibration echoed in the room. Just when Puck thought the teacher had figured it out, the buzzing would stop and Mr. Peters would start to give a lecture about the electronic ban during classes and whatever other bullshit about respect and such. He was halfway through this time when the bell rang and excused the class.<p>

Once safe in the hallway, Puck cracked his stoic expression. The phones in the ceiling panel prank hadn't been all Puck, but it was still a good one. Him and Finn had snuck into the school late last night, wearing dark clothing and leftover eye black from football like it was fuckin' _Mission Impossible._ They even drove a car that was being worked on at Burt's shop just in case someone was watching them. While Puck was booby trapping the grounds as needed, the tall teen had hid five prepaid phones above the removable ceiling panels in some of the senior classes. Puck gave four other prepaid phones to some of the guys in glee and kept one for himself, and then randomly throughout the day they were supposed to call the numbers of the phones in the ceiling. They were all set on vibrate so it was tough to hear to begin with, and watching the teachers try to pinpoint where the noise was coming from was hilarious.

His grin grew even wider as he passed more and more classmates whose hands were stained red. It wasn't quite lunch, but clearly enough people had used the bathroom given they'd washed their hands with the soap Puck had added food coloring to. It was an awesome prank, honestly, because people still used the soap even if they knew it had been tampered with; if they didn't then people were grossed out by the fact that they hadn't washed their hands after going to the bathroom. Principal Figgins had finally borrowed some anti-bacterial soap from the school nurse after running to the bathroom so much to drop a deuce.

Let's just say the milk in his morning coffee was less from a cow and more from the makers of an extra-strength laxative.

Legit, if he wasn't busy shitting so much, Figgins would probably be dragging Puck into his office by his ear or some shit. After all, he had already threatened to ruin the lives of all the seniors once this year – and that was just for Senior Skip Day. Something told Puck that Figgins wouldn't be too pleased to find out a senior prank was the reason he had to park at the bank down the street. Who knew a little bit of blue paint and a stencil of the handicap symbol courtesy of Tina could be so convincing?

"Move!"

Puck sidestepped Coach Bieste, nearly hit with the mop in her hand that she held up and out like a weapon as she ran down the hall. He couldn't hold in his laughter at that one, the burly woman terrifying freshmen and shaking lockers as she moved. Clearly someone had started a load of dirty towels in the locker room; Puck had put enough bubble bath in the washer for the suds to reach all the way into her office. He'd put dish soap in the toilets upstairs, too, but he hadn't been up there yet to assess the damage. He figured he'd check it out with Finn during lunch when they were going to the top of both stairwells to dump the four boxes of bouncy balls they had bought. Puck's wrist was still sore from turning all those stupid knobs on the old gumball-style machines at the grocery stores in town, but it would be worth it if they ended up hitting one of the teachers in the eye or something.

"Noah Puckerman."

He turned at the sound of her voice, surprised by it. He hadn't talked to her yesterday, and hadn't even seen her today other than once when she was going up the stairs on one end of the hallway while he was going down the stairs at the other side. They didn't normally see each other until lunch anyway, so he knew she wasn't avoiding him, but it wouldn't have surprised him if she did. Then again, it doesn't surprise him that she didn't either.

"How's my hot, Jewish-American princess this morning?" Puck waited until she was close enough that he could drop his voice a little. "Ready to admit defeat?"

"Defeat?"

Puck lifted both his hands in presentation, pausing so they could both hear the chatter in the hallways about all the pranks. People were talking about buzzing from the ceiling, the dyed hands, as well as the free period for all the people in a computer science class. Allegedly the computers were all infected with a virus, which was funny only because of how wrong Mr. Thornston was. Puck and Finn had placed small pieces of Post-It notes under all the computer lab mice, rendering the useless. He figured it would take the older teacher at least another class period to figure it out.

"Hear that, Berry? They're all talking about _my_ pranks. Ain't no one sayin' shit about whatever girly thing you came up with."

"Just you wait." She sounded so sure, but he still managed to roll his eyes. "And perhaps you should get your hearing checked, Noah, because _no one_ is talking about _you_."

"S'cuse me?"

"Yes, the pranks have been mildly humorous – though some of them were downright destructive – but the whole point of all of them has been for you to keep your anonymity." His mouth opened to refute her, but she forged on - as per usual. "Furthermore, none of these little stunts have given any indication they are even _senior_ pranks and not just random acts of mischief."

He stared at her blankly. "Everyone _knows_ it's me."

"Maybe, but what would you do if Principal Figgins asked you?"

"Guy ain't ever gettin' off the John, so it don't matter." She rolled her eyes and began moving toward her class, which was on the other side of where he needed to be but he followed anyway. "And the pranks ain't worth it if you get caught. Half the awesomeness comes from pulling them off while everyone is none the wiser."

"Precisely." Rachel turned suddenly, her hair flying up and brushing close enough to his face that he got a whiff of her shampoo. "That's why my prank is better. No one will suspect me, _and_ 2012 will still go down in infamy." She gave him one final look. "Your pranks will be cleaned up this evening and forgotten by the weekend."

She literally dodged his reach, sliding into the classroom just before the bell rang. Puck cursed and double-timed back to the other side of the school and into his own class. The teacher glared at him as he took his spot next to Finn, but Puck wasn't sure if it was because he was tardy or because the teacher's hands were a bright shade of red. He assumed both, but mumbled an apology for being late before digging his book out of his bag. He let the hardbound textbook fall heavily onto the desk, cracking it to a random page near the back before pulling out his cell phone.

_U no what B did for her prank?_

Puck moved his eyes to the front of the class, but watched Finn in his periphery. The tall teen had the subtlety of a cross-dressing moose, but managed to retrieve his phone without the teacher noticing. Instead of answering, he simply shook his head and Puck sighed. There was no way Rachel _Berry_ had a better prank than him, but not knowing was driving Puck crazy. Like, bat-shit level. Shit must be contagious. He probably caught it when her tongue was down his throat.

_Whathca gonna ask for if you win?_

He looked down at the text from Finn, hiding his smirk when he considered all the many things he wanted in return for his victory. But, even though Finn seemed to have departed the Finchel train, Puck was pretty sure he shouldn't go into the details. He wasn't _that _crazy. Plus even if alliances were drawn or whatever, shit just wasn't kosher.

_If?_

Finn snorted out a laugh before sending another quick text, this time changing the subject to their next plan of action. Lunch started after class and Puck and Finn still hadn't decided if they were going to go to the cafeteria and get some food before running up the stairs to release the bouncy balls as everyone was leaving _or_ if they would release the balls first. Finn was leaning toward the former, mostly because the walking garbage disposal hadn't eaten since last period and couldn't fathom postponing lunch. Puck thought it would be better if they did it first, though, because that's when there was the most movement in the hallway.

"Mr. Puckerman!" The teacher repeated, her voice taking a much harsher tone the second time. "I said the principal would like to see you."

Thanks to years of practiced ambivalence, Puck's facial expression didn't change at all. He didn't even fake being surprised, as that was a rookie mistake. Plus, he was Puck and it wasn't really ever a surprise that Figgins wanted to see him. Unfortunately he'd paired himself up with the All-American boy, who legit looked like he was going to shit himself. Puck managed to sock him in the shoulder before slinging his bookbag over his arm and walking out of the classroom. He shot Finn a quick text to let the tall teen know he'd text Finn's prepaid phone to let him know if they were still going to be able to do the bouncy ball prank before lunch or if they'd have to wait until after.

"Mr. Puckerman," Principal Figgins announced with a forced smile, extending his hand out flat to indicate Puck should take a seat. "It appears you have been busy this morning."

Puck shrugged, continuing to appear apathetic. "Sorta."

"What is this about?" Mr. Schuester came in then, his own standard expression of concerned exasperation placed firmly on his face.

"Good, William. I wanted you here when I informed Mr. Puckerman that he would be suspended for the remainder of the week, which means no glee club _or_ baseball."

"The fuck?"

"Puck, calm down." Mr. Schue placed his hand on Puck's shoulder, looking at Figgins with knitted eyebrows. "What is he being suspended for?"

Principal Figgins simply stared at Mr. Schuester like he had three heads, slowly bringing his hands up from below the desk to reveal his bright red stained palms. Puck had to hold in his laughter, mostly because he knew that alone would be grounds for at least detention. Shit was hard to keep together, though, especially when he noticed Mr. Schue's hand on his shoulder was also red. Epic.

"Don't be so naïve, William. This type of behavior is right in line with Mr. Puckerman."

"That might be true," Mr. Schuester started tightly, "but that is not enough to suspend him. Do you actually have proof Puck did these things?"

Figgins scowled. "I don't need proof!"

"Look, why would I pull any dumb pranks? I'm still on probation from last year. I'd probably get charged as an adult for this stupid bullshit."

"So you _didn't_ paint over my parking space to make it appear as if it were a handicap spot?" Puck shook his head. "And you didn't lace my morning java with Ex-Lax and you didn't put red dye in the soap dispensers and you …"

"Mr. Schue …" Puck looked up at his teacher, trying to reason with the guy he knew was on his side. "I'll admit the pranks are funny, but they're also stupid. I mean, the whole point of a senior prank is for the seniors to be remembered." Puck grinned; thank you very much, Rachel Berry. "Everything that's happened today is just end-of-the-year fun."

"Fun? _FUN?" _Principal Figgins voice rose, his eyes incredulous. "You think damaging thirty brand new computers and two perfectly good washing machines is _fun_?"

"No, Sir," Puck added for emphasis. "But they probably ain't senior pranks either."

Principal Figgins scoffed, shaking his head. "So you are telling me some random classmate planted over a hundred scarlet carnations in the shape of the number 2012?"

"Say what?"

"Don't play dumb with me!"

"I …" Puck managed to bring his wide eyes back to normal, his throat dry. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I am talking about the vandalism of the property directly adjacent to the football field." Figgins scowled deeper. "As if we weren't short staffed enough, now my _one_ janitor has to find time not just to clean up the mess in the bathrooms and locker rooms, but I will need to convince him to add _gardening_ to their short resumes!"

Puck stared blankly. "Legit, you lost me."

"I think that's precisely what someone who was responsible for all this tomfoolery would say."

"Principal Figgins, Puck seems genuinely surprised by your accusations. And considering you have no proof …"

"Fine!" The principal roared, jutting his finger out toward Puck. "But do not think that I won't be watching you, young man!"

Mr. Schuester grabbed Puck by the arm of his T-shirt, pulling him out of the principal's office and into the hallway. With a stern look, he asked, "Is it you, Puck?"

Typically Puck didn't lie. Well, he did, but he'd learned not to in the past couple of years. It was part of that whole Rachel made him better thing mixed with learning from his own mistakes. Plus, telling the truth was working out for him so far this week, given that Finn hadn't thrown a giant temper tantrum and declared World War whatever number they were on by now. However, Puck also knew the benefits of telling the truth but not necessarily the _whole_ truth.

"Legit, Mr. Schue. I don't know anything about this 2012 thing."

Puck sensed a follow-up question from the glee director, but the bell rang and saved him. Mr. Schuester settled for a stern warning to stay out of trouble, heading not back to the choir room but toward Ms. Pillsbury's office. They were allegedly taking things slow and not labeling themselves as together or not together, but everyone knew better. Ever since the end of last year, Will and Emma had been basically inseparable; kinda like Puck and Rachel.

"Dude!" Finn wrestled through the crowd of students trying to get to the lunch room. "What happened? What did he want? Are you in trouble? Did you tell him I …"

"Breathe, Finnessa." Puck rolled his eyes. "Everything's cool."

"So it wasn't about the pranks?"

Puck's gaze landed on Rachel's small form as she moved along with the rest of the herd heading inside for lunch. Her standard wide smile was present despite the crowded halls, her tiny frame squeezed between Mercedes and John, who had moved to Lima at the beginning of the year and started dating Mercedes almost immediately. She looked so fragile and so innocent, he couldn't even _imagine_ her being able to pull off any prank, let alone one that Figgins had described as being so big. But, then again, who else could have done it?

"Nah," he finally answered once Rachel was out of sight. "Not _ours_ anyway."

Puck couldn't help but laugh when Finn's expression changed to the constipated look her got when he was confused. Instead of explaining, though, Puck simply walked past his friend and into the now full cafeteria. He neared the table where all the glee clubbers sat, everyone's bags dropped on the seats while they waited in line for food. Rachel, however, always packed her lunch and was sitting primly at the front of the table. She was peeling a banana when he approached, and her resulting smile when they locked eyes told him she had no idea what she was doing to him and knew _exactly _what she was doing.

"Hello, Noah."

"Sup, Rosebud?" He turned the crappy plastic chair backward, placing his crossed arms onto the high back as he sat and then leaned into her personal space. "Had a nice chat with Figgins about your prank."

Her eyes widened not in fear but more like fascination. "Principal Figgins suspects _me_?"

"Of course not." Puck rolled his eyes. "He 'bout suspended me just 'cause but then I told him I wouldn'ta done any shitty prank with some dinky flowers."

"Because bubble bath is incredibly masculine." She finished her banana and tossed the empty peel back into her bag. "Did you even see my masterpiece or are you merely bad-mouthing it blindly?"

When Puck didn't answer, Rachel huffed and stood. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the chair and toward the side exit. She was actually really strong for her size, but he could have resisted if he wanted to. That was the main problem, though. He didn't want to. No matter if he was trying to appear tough or unaffected or whatever, Rachel always made him go against the grain. She didn't want him to _try_ to be anything. She just expected him to be Noah, which he was going to admit was pretty hard sometimes.

"I had a dream about this once." He winked when she managed to look suspiciously at him over her shoulder. "But you were pullin' me away somewhere secret at school to do the nasty."

"That's a terrible euphemism for such an intimate moment." She let go of his hand once they hit the football field only to grab his arm with both hands, continuing to walk toward the area she had planted the flowers. "And we are outside in the middle of the day where everyone can see us. This is hardly secluded."

"My truck is just on the other side of the bleachers." He waggled his eyebrows. "We could finish what you started Saturday."

"Is that what you want?" Puck blinked absently, hearing sirens in his head. "If we're maintaining the allusion that you will win this bet of ours."

He breathed heavily, still not used to the fact that he could be completely honest with her. He'd spent so long being extra careful so as to not ruin their perfect balance of friendship, both with him and her and the one between them and Finn. Now he could finally tell her everything he'd been holding back. He could grab her by her tiny shoulders and kiss her if he wanted to. But he didn't know how.

"We never talked 'bout what ya'd get if you won." He tilted his head a little so he could look down at her. "Ya know, on the off chance."

"Sometimes your confidence is a bit irritating, Noah."

"Back atcha, babe."

Rachel rolled her eyes, stopping in front of her prank. Puck turned away from her and evaluated her work. Just as Figgins had described, the newly planted flowers in the shape of 2012 sat by the large field, perfectly manicured. What he failed to explain was just how big the design was. It wasn't just hundreds of scarlet carnations, but closer to a thousand. Each number was close six feet wide, far too big for Rachel to have done this by herself.

"Who helped ya?"

"What makes you assume I was unable to do this myself?" She narrowed her gaze on him. "I know you like to tease me about my pampered upbringing, but I am capable of working hard for something without the assistance of others." She sighed when he continued to just look at her, knowing the truth would come eventually. "Father bought the flowers and I used daddy's truck to transport them here very early this morning."

Puck shook his head. "Only you would get help from your parents for a senior prank." She beamed at him as if that were a compliment. "And only _you _would consider planting flowers a _prank_."

"They aren't just flowers, Noah." She spoke to him like a child. "They are scarlet carnations. And they're in the shape of our graduation year; _that's_ why it is a senior prank."

"Yea, I get it," Puck muttered. "And it'sa real nice try for a virgin."

"Noah!"

"I meant a prank war virgin," he clarified with a deep smirk, earning him a soft punch in the arm. He rubbed the area as if she'd actually hurt him. "But ya gotta be shittin' me if ya think you won with this."

"What makes your pranks better?" She asked the question, but wasn't interested in his answer. "As I've mentioned before, your pranks were comical but not memorable."

"Yea, but yours is neither." He pointed to the flowers in disgust. "Figgins is pissed about this. He's having them dug up tonight."

"No he isn't."

She was so sure of herself that it bugged him. "Yeah. He. Is. He told me when I was in his office."

"He may have told you that, but it will not happen."

"Why not?" Puck looked back at the flowers, wondering if there was maybe an invisible fence hidden under the soil. Maybe landmines. That would be sweet. "Didja booby trap it?"

"I did no such thing." Rachel placed her hands on her hips, looking smug. "I have the law on my side."

"Ya gonna have daddies Berry sue if Figgins tears down their baby girl's prank? Really?"

She rolled her eyes. "Absolutely not, Noah. Although, they did help with the judicial intricacies of the setup."

"English, Berry."

"The flowers I planted aren't just any regular flower, but scarlet carnations." She groaned at his fake snoring. "_Scarlet carnations_ are the state flower."

"Legit, B. Finn and I have another prank in a few minutes." He managed to fire a fast text to Finn while mocking her, letting the tall teen know they'd setup the bouncy ball prank as soon as he got back into the building. They'd both confiscated some unused lockers at the top floor to hold their boxes of bouncy balls, but the prank wasn't worth it if only one side was done. He had to get back in there to help out. "So, ya know, if ya got a point couldja get to it now?"

Rachel scowled deeper. "I chose this area specifically because you can see it from many locations both in and outside the school, but more because it is on state property."

"Ya think Figgins won't bust you 'cause it ain't on school property?"

"It doesn't matter either way." Her confidence had returned, oozing off her as she watched him. "In Ohio and many other states, it is illegal to dig up the state flower."

Puck stared at the 2012 flowers in awe, the magnitude of the prank soaking in quickly. The red food coloring from the soap dispensers would fade after enough washes. The washer in the locker room would be fixed eventually. But Rachel's prank … it would last forever. Every spring their graduation year would sprout up again and remind all of McKinley of their class. And she hadn't broken anything, hadn't hurt anyone, and could totally take credit for it.

Fuck, she won.

"Your silence is speaking volumes, Noah." She beamed up at him. "But I want to hear you say the words."

"I always knew you'd be into dirty talk." Her smile quirked to the side, her eyes lifting up in exasperation. "What do ya want?"

"So you admit I won?"

He grinned; she wasn't going to let him ever live this down. "Depends on what ya want for winning."

Her smile changed again, this time growing more catlike as her eyes sparkled at his words. "Same thing you do."

"I _seriously_ doubt that," he breathed, affected more than he wanted to admit by her sudden proximity. When had she stepped so close?

"Noah, give me some credit." Rachel rolled her eyes, her arms moving from her hips to grab at his loose T-shirt. His abs clenched in response to their proximity, echoing the clenching of his stomach at her words. "I don't just go around kissing people on a whim."

He blinked slowly. "So … why didja?"

"Because it had become clear you never were going to." She dipped her head down, talking more to her feet than to him. "And while I find your faithfulness to your friendship with Finn admirable, I … I can't help how I feel about you."

"How's that?"

Her eyes lifted quickly to his, searching with a watery expression for the cause of the humorous lilt in his voice. To ease her mind a little (or maybe because he couldn't stand not touching her anymore), he placed each of his hands on her hips. He pulled her a little closer, enough that her loose grip on his shirt moved so her hands moved up to lay flat against his chest. He absently wondered if she could feel his heart pounding beneath his skin, but figured she was more focused on her own nervous energy.

"I feel …" She trailed off, looking down at her feet again and he held his breath the whole time. "Like myself."

He blew out the breath, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. He hadn't quite expected that answer. He wasn't even sure if that _was_ an answer. At least it wasn't the one he wanted. That was the first sentence in the line of explanation where the chick said she valued their friendship and bullshit like that. Or, you know, that's what he'd seen in movies.

"But more like a better version of myself." She looked back at him, an emotion in her eyes that he had never noticed before but wondered if had existed the whole time staring back at him. "I don't feel embarrassed about acting crazy about certain things near you, nor do I shy away from the innuendos or affection that seems to come so naturally when I'm in your presence."

Puck lifted one of his hands from her hip, using his fingers to brush some of her fallen hair back behind her ear. "Are you tryin' to tell me I'm your Ryan Anderson?"

Rachel giggled in response. "No, but that is because Sarah said they kissed and he was terrible." She bit her lip, blushing even as she said, "You're a wonderful kisser, Noah."

His fingers were ghosting over her skin, moving from her neck to her shoulder and then back again. "Damn straight." Her eyes fluttered closed but he was busy watching her tongue swipe over her lips. "I'm pretty awesome at other stuff, too, if you're interested."

"Are _you_ interested?" She questioned in the same low voice he had used. "In more than just a meaningless relationship?"

There it was. The question he had been avoiding all year even if in the back of his mind he knew the answer. He'd used Finn as an excuse and even him and Rachel's friendship, but now she was offering no resistance. She'd bridged the distance that had once seemed too big and all but served herself up on a platter. He could no longer doubt her intentions – this wasn't about making Finn jealous or feeling alone – but instead had to make a move. Do or die.

"More than you know," he answered huskily, licking his own lips in anticipation. His fingers curled around her slender neck, his thumb holding her chin up. "I've been dyin' to call you my girl all year."

Rachel beamed at his admission, adding softly, "Me too."

She lifted to her tiptoes and closed the minimal space between them, her lips warm against his. He didn't hesitate in responding to the embrace this time, though, ignoring everything else just to savor the moment. He didn't even care that lunch was about to be over and he needed to run inside if him and Finn were going to pull off the other prank. He already lost the bet anyway. Or, considering the way his and Rachel's tongues were sliding together, maybe he won.

"OMG! Puckerman, is this one of your pranks?" Santana asked excitedly as she passed the kissing pair with an armful of pom poms; the Latina was the classic cheerleader with an eating disorder, but she covered it up by helping Coach Sylvester during lunch. "For reals. That's epic."

Puck smiled against Rachel's lips – his _girlfriend's _lips. His girlfriend's soft, pouty, perfect lips that had just told him she wanted him and had for as long as he had wanted her.

Legit, it was pretty epic.


End file.
